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Emma 2009 revisited

Jane Austen had a few ideas about what would happen to some of her characters in the future. Emma’s Mr. Woodhouse would live for two more years after his daughter’s marriage to Mr. Knightley, and the letters from Frank Churchill that Jane Fairfax placed before her contained the word “pardon.” These little tidbits of information help to make the books and movie adaptations so much more enjoyable to read and watch.

In my previous observations of the film adaptation of Emma 2009, I mentioned several times that I disliked Romola Garai’s interpretation of the role, but I have now seen the film four times AND rewatched other Emma films, including Clueless, which remains my favorite. I have also been listening to the full book version of Emma on my iPod. My mama sagely told me, “you CAN teach an old dog new tricks”, and after the second episode of Emma aired on PBS last week and after viewing the Kate Beckinsale version of Emma (1996) with a friend, this crotchety old dog has come to the rather astonishing realization that she likes Romola as Emma after all.

Romola’s quick moving, restless Emma captures her immaturity and boredom. Highbury is a town that is much too confining for such a talented, rich and lively young lady, and with so little to do, this self-indulgent and coddled girl can’t help but create mischief. If only Emma could apply herself long enough to become proficient at something, she might have been able to keep her nose out of other peoples’ lives. But she keeps making lists, with every intention of reading the books. As Mr. Knightley observed to Mrs Weston:

Emma reads two pages of Milton

Emma has been meaning to read more ever since she was twelve years old. I have seen a great many lists of her drawing up at various times of books that she meant to read regularly through—and very good lists they were—very well chosen, and very neatly arranged—sometimes alphabetically, and sometimes by some other rule. The list she drew up when only fourteen—I remember thinking it did her judgment so much credit, that I preserved it some time; and I dare say she may have made out a very good list now. But I have done with expecting any course of steady reading from Emma. She will never submit to any thing requiring industry and patience, and a subjection of the fancy to the understanding.

Emma also paints, but, as her portfolio (and pale painting of Harriet Smith) demonstrates, she is hard pressed to finish these projects.

Emma's very pale painting of Harriet Smith

Emma wished to go to work directly, and therefore produced the portfolio containing her various attempts at portraits, for not one of them had ever been finished, that they might decide together on the best size for Harriet. Her many beginnings were displayed. Miniatures, half-lengths, whole-lengths, pencil, crayon, and water-colours had been all tried in turn. She had always wanted to do everything, and had made more progress both in drawing and music than many might have done with so little labour as she would ever submit to.”

Emma can play the pianoforte prettily enough, but not as well as Jane Fairfax, which bothers her:

Emma is invited to play first at the Coles' party

She did unfeignedly and unequivocally regret the inferiority of her own playing and singing. She did most heartily grieve over the idleness of her childhood–and sat down and practised vigorously an hour and a half.

She was then interrupted by Harriet’s coming in; and if Harriet’s praise could have satisfied her, she might soon have been comforted.

“Oh! if I could but play as well as you and Miss Fairfax!”

“Don’t class us together, Harriet. My playing is no more like her’s, than a lamp is like sunshine.” – Emma, Volume 2, Chapter 9

Sandy Welch, scriptwriter of this Emma adaptation, observed that Cher, the Emma character in Clueless, was bossy but sweet and well-meaning. In her script, Ms. Welch wanted to show that the coddled young Emma had an attitude of “well-meaning snobbishness” and that in all her meddling, she sincerely thought: “doesn’t everyone think like this?”

And so in my fourth viewing of Romola’s performance as Jane Austen’s wealthiest and most entitled heroine, I have finally come to admire this heroine. My change of heart was especially helped when I reviewed previous Emma adaptations during the last snow storm, and realized just how thoroughly this new production fit in with our modern sensibilities. I (and a few of my Janeite friends) still think that Romola’s facial grimaces and wide eyed interpretation of a very young Emma in the first half of the series were overly exaggerated, but she toned down her performance as Emma matured and grew in understanding.

Her scenes with Jonny Lee Miller during his proposal were tender and touching and gave a fitting ending to the series. I shall miss these Sunday evenings watching Emma. Thankfully, PBS will be showing reruns of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, which were originally shown during Jane Austen Season two years ago. Jane Austen fans can take heart that our time with the bonnet series is not yet over.

17 Responses

Lovely Vic. I have softened to Romola too. It has taken a bit of time and reviewings like you, but by the 3rd episode she and Emma improved together and that was welcome. Still missed all of Austen beautiful language though.

Thank you for the great review. I still can’t believe PBS cut the bit where Emma and Mr. Knightley discuss how they realized they were in love. I’m not sure if PBS did that everywhere or just on my station, but that is a really important scene!

So, some people might not know where the pictures came from that you end the review with

I deliberately included those images, for they are lovely and show how tender Mr. Knightley’s relationship is with Emma. If any scene should have been cut out, it should have been the trip to the ocean.

I love Emma and loved Romola’s interpretation. It has to be remembered that Emma was a very nice girl, really. She was lovely to her little nephews and nieces – and, unlike Anne in Persuasion, she seems to enjoy them. She was also patient, almost beyond belief, with her father and all his fussiness.
I keep thinking that jane may have based her on her niece Anna. What was it she said about her?
‘There was something about her that kept us perpetually alert for something to happen.’ – or something like that…

I enjoyed this adaptation of Emma. I don’t know if it was my absolute favorite. But overall, very good! Romola was very animated and put her own stamp on Emma. But I have to say I LOVED Johnny Lee Miller as Knightley. He really made it for me. It’s not his looks really – just his acting. He really brought Knightly to life.

I voted “I loved it” and I did and do love it! I truly love this adaptation. As I have already written on my blog, I started loving it halfway, during the third episode. And now, after re-watching it several times, I’m sure it is a wonderful series, my favourite Emma. I agree with all your statements, Vic. And, Valerie, I also agree with you: JLM is my Mr Knightley.
Thanks for this revisitation!

I agree with your review. I think Romola Garai’s interpretation of Emma was wonderful. The entire production seemed like the most heart-felt of all the versions of Emma that you mention–that made the characters the most real and less stylized. Because this production was done as if these were all REAL people, the change in Emma and her realizations of her mistakes and of her own true feelings are all the more poignant. Despite Emma’s mischief and snobbishness, she is a good hearted, lovely, and generous person, as Mr. Knightley understands, and as is shown by her devotion to her father. Thus her faults simply make her more human and hence even more lovable, since they are not faults of malice but of enthusiasm.

I thoroughly enjoyed this production. I’ve not yet had time to post a review of the final episode, though. Hopefully I will get that taken care of tonight or tomorrow. I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of my DVD copy from Amazon – I heard there’s about 10 minutes of “new” footage on the DVDs that were cute from the PBS broadcasts.

I wonder if anyone has been able to find the deleted bits that are apparent in watching the “making of” videos on the bbc or pbs websites but apparently were cut even before the BBC version aired. Specifically, it appears the “badly done” speech was longer – one of the making-of videos shows JLM saying something about how others would follow Emma’s example. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a collection of those moments and even bloopers/outtakes! (I don’t suppose the BBC EVER makes THOSE available!)

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Hello, my name is Vic and I live in Maryland, USA. I have adored Jane Austen almost all of my life. I am a proud lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I do not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, I do accept and keep books, DVDs and CDs to review.

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